While we all want the best for our children, we don’t always know how to support their best learning. Did you know that social skills are an important part of learning, early development, and kindergarten readiness? Surprisingly, social skills have more impact on later success than academic ones. Feeling anxious can interfere with learning, and feeling comfortable and confident can make it easier.
Some early social skills for young children are learning to share, to take turns, to wait, and to use polite words. Besides the words for please and thank you, the gestures are easy to learn and fun to use.
To make the gesture for please, open your right hand flat and put in on your chest, just below your chin. Move the hand over to the left, down, and back up in a circle. Do this a few times and that’s please, right in the area where the bib was keeping the shirt clean. (see the picture on the right)
Thank you is another fun gesture. The right hand touches the chin, and then moves back and down just a little way. This looks almost like blowing a kiss without the kiss part, or a quick wave. This gesture keeps clothes a lot cleaner, instead making sure that whatever was on the hand is now also on the face. (see the picture on the left)
The little boy in this please and thank you song video doesn’t have the pronunciation of the words, but he certainly has the message. These two little words can indeed help kids out in life. After all, saying thank you and being grateful is so important that we have a holiday to remind us! That message sometimes gets lost as the turkey and pumpkin pie take center stage. But to use the words of another song, the Hokey Pokey, isn’t that what it’s all about?